Monday, February 04, 2008

Recognition & Response

NCLD hosts discussion on RTI and school readiness: On Wednesday, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) hosted a panel discussion titled, "RTI Goes to Pre-K: A Comprehensive System for Early Intervention to Promote School Readiness." Participants discussed the most recent data that supports the need for universal early literacy screening and supportive services before children enter kindergarten and the impact of a new program-Recognition and Response. Adapted from RTI (Response to Intervention), Recognition and Response is a pre-K early intervening system that integrates universal screening and progress-monitoring with research-based interventions to improve academic instruction for all children. Recognition and Response and RTI emphasize collecting information about how children are performing across specific areas of learning and behavior and intervening with intentional instruction and support rather than waiting until children fail. Both of these approaches presume that early intervening can prevent academic failure and frustration for many students. They also presume to identify which students, at the earliest possible points in time, actually have or may be at risk for learning disabilities vs. those whose underachievement can be attributed to other factors.